Sunday

Five of the Most Memorable Sports Moments in 2012

ABSTRACT:
As we get ready to celebrate a new year, we should take a moment and look back at the five most memorable sports moments in 2012.

As we get ready to celebrate a new year, we should take a moment and look back at the five most memorable sports moments in 2012. Some of us might shed a tear of joy when we recall these moments. Others among us will cringe when we think about them. Regardless of how we feel about these five sports moments, we will remember them for years to come.

The Giants had to win three out of their last four regular season games just to make the NFL postseason. Few people believed the team, which finished the regular season 9-7, would be able to accomplish much in the playoffs. The Giants shocked everyone by winning three postseason road games to reach Super Bowl XLVI . In the championship game, the Giants scored 6 unanswered points in the Fourth Quarter to beat the New England Patriots 21-17 and claim their fourth Lombardi Trophy.

Bubba Watson Wins the Masters Tournament
Many Americans can identify with Watson. He taught himself how to play the game and has been struggling for years to break through. The 33-year old golfer's moment in the sun came at the prestigious Masters Tournament in April. Few people gave the golfer a chance to win. He had never finished better than 20th at the event and was 3 shots behind the leader entering the tourney's final day. Watson surprised a lot of people when he defeated Louis Oosthuizen in a sudden death playoff to win his first PGA Grand Slam event.

The "Fab Five" Are Golden
The U.S. women's gymnastics team achieved some notable milestones at the London Olympic Games. The squad won a gold medal in the team competition for the first time since 1996. Team member Gabrielle Douglas followed up this success by finishing first in the individual all-around competition. She became the first American to win gold medals in both events. The gymnasts quickly became media darlings, with the press referring to them as the "Fab Five."

The San Francisco Giants Win the World Series
The Giants' path to the World Series was anything but easy. They lost the first two games of their NLDS match-up with the Cincinnati Reds and had to win three games in a row to advance to the NLCS. In the NLCS, the Giants once again dug an early hole for themselves but managed to put together another three game winning streak to beat the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Given their prior struggles, it surprised many MLB fans when the Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in four games to win the World Series.

The NHL Lockout Continues
Hockey fans have to be disappointed by the fact that the NHL's owners and players have not been able to reach an agreement on a new contract. As a result of the impasse, the league has canceled a large portion of the 2012-2013 season. More worrisome, the two sides did not seem to come any closer to inking a deal in their most recent negotiating sessions. At this point, hockey fans have to wonder if the entire NHL season will be canceled.

1. Photographer: Saboteur
Date: February 7, 2012
Title/Description: Madonna performing on the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show.
Permission/Location: Wikimedia Commons - Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
license (click on the caption for a link to the photo on FLICKR. Click on the title to see the photo,
credits, and permissions on Wikimedia Commons).

The author follows many sports. He is a fan of the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Steelers.#sports #hockey #NFL #football #NHL #golf #PGA #Olympics #SummerOlympics #history #sportshistory